Lando Norris, the current Formula 1 world champion, still possesses the tools and momentum to mount a dramatic comeback and hold onto his drivers' title, according to Sky Sports F1 analyst David Croft. Norris secured his and McLaren’s inaugural victory of the 2024 campaign at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday, narrowing the gap to championship leader Kimi Antonelli to 91 points. With the season now halfway through—eleven of the twenty‑three scheduled rounds have been completed—the summer hiatus offers a crucial window for the British driver and his team to regroup and press forward.
The Hungarian win was not just a flash in the pan; it was a commanding performance that followed a substantial aerodynamic and mechanical upgrade package introduced by McLaren for the Hungaroring. The upgrade appeared to unlock latent speed, allowing Norris to dominate a circuit that traditionally favours chassis balance over outright power. This result has sparked optimism that McLaren may have finally cemented its place among the front‑running squads, and that Norris could re‑enter the title hunt with genuine belief.
During the most recent episode of Sky Sports’ "The F1 Show" podcast, Croft highlighted a pivotal question: can McLaren sustain this newfound pace and continue to out‑shine Antonelli’s Mercedes outfit? He asked, "One of the big things coming out of the summer break, can McLaren carry this on?
Are they going to put their eggs in a Lando Norris basket? And is it going to come up trumps once again?" Croft’s tone suggested that the answer hinges on whether the team can translate the Hungarian upgrade into consistent performance across a variety of circuits.
He also remarked that the Constructors' Championship remains wide open, and that Norris’s deficit, while sizable, is not insurmountable. "The Drivers' Championship, I don't think Lando is that far behind that he can't make up a deficit," Croft asserted.
The British driver echoed this sentiment, expressing eagerness to return to racing rather than enjoy a prolonged holiday. "I haven't even gone on holiday yet.
I can't wait to get back to business at the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort. I don't want a three‑week break; I want the racing thick and fast!" he said. McLaren’s primary challenge this season has been extracting maximum performance from the Mercedes‑supplied power unit. Historically, the Silver Arrows have leveraged the engine’s potential more effectively than the Woking team.
The Hungaroring, being relatively gentle on power‑unit demands, raised doubts about whether McLaren could replicate its Hungarian success on more power‑hungry tracks such as Spa‑Francorchamps or Monza. Croft, however, pointed out that the Hungaroring shares certain characteristics with Monaco—a circuit where Mercedes managed a victory earlier in June.
He noted, "We're 11 races into the season now, and I think McLaren are understanding the power unit way better than they were at the start of the year." He added that McLaren’s one‑two finish in Budapest was not a surprise given their strong performances there over the past two seasons, though the dominance of Mercedes in Monaco earlier in the year suggested that driver skill and circuit specifics also play a role. The analyst praised the effectiveness of McLaren’s upgrade, saying, "What delighted me in terms of stronger competition to the championship leaders, and we want to see this championship go right to the wire because that's way more fun, was that McLaren's upgrade worked.
They've taken their time this year to play catch‑up, but they are now catching up, I think. And I think the signs were there right from the start as Lando built up the pace into the weekend that this was a good upgrade, they had the pace, and they were ready to challenge Mercedes." Beyond the technical narrative, there is an external factor that could influence the remainder of the season: the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which threatens the feasibility of the twelve remaining races.
Nevertheless, Sky Sports F1’s Bernie Collins remains confident that Norris has ample opportunity to reverse his fortunes. "I think this year is going to be about upgrades," Collins said on the podcast. "It's going to be about who can get on top of these cars, who can get the best out of the cars, the best out of the engines.
At the moment as the calendar sets, we've done 11 rounds; we've got 12 still to go. So there's still lots and lots of points on the board." Collins drew a parallel with last season’s dramatic turnaround, when Max Verstappen trailed championship leader Oscar Piastri by 104 points with nine races left, yet fought back to finish just two points shy of Norris in the final standings. This historical precedent underscores how quickly fortunes can shift in Formula 1 when a team finds the right package and momentum. He added, "We've seen McLaren this weekend at least have a little bit of the upper hand.
And maybe Mercedes have been a bit distracted with each other in some of the earlier races as well. So, I think that it's still all to play for. I think you've pretty much got three cars, maybe Verstappen as well in that fight, that I think who knows as we go through later races who will be at the front week in, week out. And that's really interesting to watch." Looking ahead, the season resumes after the summer intermission with a sprint weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort from August 21‑23.
All sessions will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, and viewers can stream the coverage via NOW without a contract, with the option to cancel at any time. The upcoming sprint format adds an extra layer of excitement, offering drivers a chance to score additional points and potentially reshape the championship landscape. In summary, while Norris faces a significant points deficit, the combination of a powerful upgrade, a team that appears to be mastering its power‑unit integration, and the inherent unpredictability of Formula 1 keeps his title hopes alive. If McLaren can maintain the pace demonstrated in Hungary, continue to refine the car’s balance, and capitalize on any slip‑ups from Antonelli’s Mercedes, the championship could still be decided in the final races.
The battle is far from over, and as Croft and Collins both emphasised, the season remains "all to play for" for Lando Norris and his McLaren squad.